Variation in the achievement of HbA1c , blood pressure and LDL cholesterol targets in type 2 diabetes in general practice and characteristics associated with risk factor control

Metabolic risk factor targets in relation to clinical characteristics and comorbidities among individuals with type 2 diabetes treated in primary care - The countrywide cross-sectional AUSTRO-PROFIT study

AIMS

This study assessed the achievement rates of metabolic risk factor targets and their association with clinical characteristics and comorbidities among individuals with type 2 diabetes (T2D) treated in the primary care in Austria.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

A countrywide cross-sectional study, the AUSTRO-PROFIT, was conducted in Austria from 2021 to 2023 on 635 individuals with T2D. Metabolic risk factor targets were defined as the percentage of people achieving low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) <70 mg/dL (or < 55 mg/dL if cardiovascular or microvascular disease was present), glycated haemoglobin (HbA1c) <7% (53 mmol/mol) and blood pressure < 140/90 mmHg.

RESULTS

The mean age of the participants was 65.7 ± 11.2 years; the median duration of T2D was 8 (4-14) years; and 58.7% of the participants were male. The percentages of participants achieving LDL-C, HbA1c, blood pressure and all targets were 44%, 53%, 57% and 13%, respectively. Older age, longer T2D duration, cardiovascular disease and microvascular complications were associated with suboptimal achievement of metabolic risk factor targets.

CONCLUSIONS

The AUSTRO-PROFIT study revealed notable variations in metabolic targets achievement with respect to clinical characteristics and comorbidities. These findings underscore the importance of establishing national diabetes registries and implementing multifactorial targeted and individualized interventions to further improve the quality of T2D care in primary care settings in Austria.

Global Multidisciplinary Cardiometabolic Care Delivery: A Blueprint for Success From UNITE

Mortality and morbidity from cardiovascular disease continue to rise along with obesity and other cardiometabolic risk factors, making comprehensive management for cardiometabolic disease (CMD) imperative. Despite available treatments, gaps exist in CMD care. Revolutionizing the Delivery of Care in CV Disease and T2DM: The Pilot Cardiometabolic Clinic Initiative (UNITE) is a global initiative aimed at improving outcomes of cardiovascular disease risk in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus. UNITE addresses gaps in CMD care by developing and implementing workflows and care delivery processes adapted to different health care systems and resource constraints. This article details the structure and methodology of the UNITE program, including clinic development and performance measurement, along with long-term sustainability and scalability to address the global burden of CMD.

Cardiologists vs Endocrinologists in Glycemic Control for Coronary Artery Disease Patients with Type 2 Diabetes: A Cross-Sectional Study

Background

The comorbidity of coronary artery disease (CAD) and type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) presents significant challenges in clinical management, particularly regarding glycemic control. The clinical management of CAD complicated by T2DM requires coordinated glycemic control, as poor management can exacerbate cardiovascular risks and increase morbidity and mortality. While endocrinologists traditionally manage diabetes, cardiologists are increasingly involved due to the cardiovascular risks associated with poor glycemic control. This study explores the current practices of glycemic management by cardiologists and endocrinologists in patients with CAD and T2DM, focusing on treatment intensification in a Chinese hospital setting.

Methods

This cross-sectional study included 1,074 hospitalized patients with both CAD and T2DM, admitted to the Cardiology Department of Ruijin Hospital between January 2021 and December 2023. Data were retrospectively collected from electronic medical records, including demographic information, clinical characteristics, and treatment interventions. Patients were stratified by year, and differences in treatment strategies between cardiologists and endocrinologists were analyzed. Glycemic control was assessed using HbA1c levels, with treatment intensification defined by any adjustment in antidiabetic therapy and consideration for comprehensive cardiovascular risk factors.

Results

Endocrinologists were significantly more likely to initiate treatment intensification, especially in cases of severe hyperglycemia (HbA1c ≥9.0%), while cardiologists' role in glycemic management was limited, with a preference for outpatient endocrinology referrals over in-hospital adjustments. Despite improvements in glycemic control, the percentage of patients achieving comprehensive cardiovascular risk management targets remained low.

Conclusion

This study underscored the distinct yet complementary roles of cardiologists and endocrinologists in managing glycemic control among patients with CAD and T2DM, noting endocrinologists' more active involvement in treatment intensification. Future integrated care models should harness the unique expertise of both specialties to optimize patient outcomes, better address glycemic control needs, and enhance overall cardiovascular risk management in this high-risk patient population.

The AMD ANNALS: A continuous initiative for the improvement of type 2 diabetes care

AIMS

Since 2006, the Italian AMD (Associations of Medical Diabetologists) Annals Initiative promoted a continuous monitoring of the quality of diabetes care, that was effective in improving process, treatment and outcome indicators through a periodic assessment of standardized measures. Here, we show the 2022 AMD Annals data on type 2 diabetes (T2D).

METHODS

A network involving ∼1/3 of diabetes centers in Italy periodically extracts anonymous data from electronic clinical records, by a standardized software. Process, treatment and outcome indicators, and a validated score of overall care, the Q-score, were evaluated.

RESULTS

295 centers provided the annual sample of 502,747 T2D patients. Overall, HbA1c value ≤7.0% was documented in 54.6% of patients, blood pressure <130/80 mmHg in 23.0%, and LDL-cholesterol levels <70 mg/dl in 34.3%, but only 5.2% were at- target for all the risk factors. As for innovative drugs, 29.0% of patients were on SGLT2-i, and 27.5% on GLP1-RAs. In particular, 59.7% were treated with either GLP1-RAs or SGLT2-i among those with established cardiovascular disease (CVD), 26.6% and 49.3% with SGLT2-i among those with impaired renal function and heart failure, respectively. Notably, only 3.2% of T2D patients showed a Q score <15, which correlates with a 80% higher risk of incident CVD events compared to scores >25.

CONCLUSIONS

The 2022 AMD Annals data show an improvement in the use of innovative drugs and in the overall quality of T2D care in everyday clinical practice. However, additional efforts are needed to reach the recommended targets for HbA1c and major CVD risk factors.

ALERT-LDL: adherence to guidelines in the treatment of patients with dyslipidemia

The association between LDL-c levels and cardiovascular outcomes suggests tailoring lipid-lowering therapies according to total cardiovascular risk. We aimed to evaluate the adherence to guidelines-oriented dyslipidaemia's treatment in an outpatient population referring to ARCA cardiologists, and assess the efficacy of treatment's optimization for each specific level of risk. Three thousand seventy-five patients enrolled in this prospective study were classified according to cardiovascular risk category, and their therapies were optimized. At the beginning and the 3 month follow-up visit, LDL-c data were collected, and further therapies were prescribed to the patients that did not reach the target. A significant LDL-c reduction was observed in all subgroups at different cardiovascular risk at the end of the study (p < 0.05). The number of patients assuming statins, both in monotherapy and in combination with ezetimibe, increased during the follow-up (63% at the enrollment vs 89% after 12 months). At the enrollment, only 1.4% of patients were treated with PCSK-9 inhibitors while after 12 months the percentage increased both in high (5.8%) and very high-risk (18.4%) patients. At the beginning of the study, only 698/3075 patients (22.7%) reached lipid targets. At the end of the study, carried out by the referring cardiologists in the pertaining healthcare districts and specifically aimed to control the lipid profile, the percentage of patients on target increased in all risk categories (68.5%). Our results suggest carefully implementing measures that encourage outpatients and their cardiologists to achieve the targeted lipid profile according to cardiovascular risk.

High adherence to recommended diabetes follow-up procedures by general practitioners is associated with lower estimated cardiovascular risk

AIMS

To explore whether the general practitioners' (GPs') performance of recommended processes of care was associated with estimated risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD) and poor glycaemic control in patients with type 2 diabetes.

METHODS

A cross-sectional study from Norwegian general practice including 6015 people with type 2 diabetes <75 years old, without CVD and their 275 GPs. The GPs were split into quintiles based on each GP's average performance of six recommended processes of care. The quintiles were the exposure variable in multilevel regression models with 10-year risk of cardiovascular events estimated by NORRISK 2 (total and modifiable fraction) and poor glycaemic control (HbA_1c >69 mmol/mol (>8.5%)) as outcome variables.

RESULTS

The mean total and modifiable estimated 10-year CVD risk was 12.3% and 3.3%, respectively. Compared with patients of GPs in the highest-performing quintile, patients treated by GPs in the lowest quintile had an adjusted total and modifiable CVD risk that was 1.88 (95% CI 1.17-2.60) and 1.78 (1.14-2.41) percent point higher. This represents a relative mean difference of 16.6% higher total and 74.8% higher modifiable risk among patients of GPs in the lowest compared with the highest quintile. For patients with GPs in the lowest-performing quintile, the adjusted odds of poor glycaemic control was 1.77 (1.27-2.46) times higher than that for patients with a GP in the highest quintile.

CONCLUSIONS

We found a pattern of lower CVD risk and better glycaemic control in patients of GPs performing more recommended diabetes processes of care.

Factors associated with treatment in primary versus specialist care: A population-based study of people with type 2 and type 1 diabetes

AIMS

The objectives of this study are to identify the proportion and characteristics of people with type 1 and 2 diabetes treated in primary, specialist and shared care and to identify the proportion of persons with type 2 diabetes reaching HbA_1c treatment targets and the clinical risk factors and general practitioner and practice characteristics associated with treatment in specialist care.

METHODS

Population-based cross-sectional study including all adults ≥18 years diagnosed with diabetes in primary and specialist care in Salten, Norway. We used multivariable mixed-effects logistic regression models with level of care as outcome variable and population, general practitioner, and practice characteristics as exposure variables.

RESULTS

Of 2704 people with type 2 diabetes, 13.5% were treated in shared care and 2.1% in specialist care only. Of 305 people with type 1 diabetes, 14.4% received treatment in primary care only. The HbA_1c treatment target of 53 mmol/mol (7.0%) was reached by 67.3% of people with type 2 diabetes in primary care versus 30.4% in specialist care. HbA_1c , use of insulin, coronary heart disease, retinopathy and urban practice location were positively associated with treatment in specialist care. General practitioners' use of a structured form and a diabetes nurse were negatively associated with specialist care.

CONCLUSIONS

Of people with type 2 diabetes, 16% were treated in specialist care. They had higher HbA_1c and more vascular complications, as expected from priority guidelines. The use of a structured diabetes form and diabetes nurses seem to support type 2 diabetes follow-up in primary care.

[Decreasing cardiovascular morbidity: how to improve adherence to the treatment in the translational era]

Cardiovascular diseases are the main drivers of the morbidity and mortality in Russian Federation. We briefly discussed the poor adherence of the patients and outlined the solutions of this problem.